Just Dance- Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight, and Lady Gaga owns her music and weird costumes. I own the rest of this.

BPOV

I walked into class the following Tuesday, my stomach in knots. I hadn't forgotten my conversation with Edward last week- in fact, it had been all I was able to think about all weekend. That, and his beautiful green eyes, and his sexy hair, and his toned body…

There I go again.

I slid into my seat and shook my long brown hair around my face to better cover it. I was so sick of wearing it up, in hats and under the Lady Bella wig, that I'd taken a chance and wore it down, without anything covering it. I didn't have the hat to cover my face, but my hair was long enough that I could manage it if I was careful.

The only problem with curtain hair was, I didn't know Edward was approaching until he was practically on top of me.

"Izzy," he breathed in my ear, tickling me.

"Edward," I said, slapping at my ear to make him go away.

"How was your weekend?"

I sighed and pulled out my notebook so I wouldn't have to look at him. Looking at him was always my downfall. "Fine."

"Aren't you going to ask about my game on Saturday?"

"I thought you didn't like to talk about football," I replied. The truth was, I had watched the game, for the first time in my life. Rosalie was shocked, needless to say, as well as pissed that I wanted to watch "idiots throwing around a skinned pig" rather than work on my second album.

"I'm just trying to find anything you'll talk about. Last week, you obviously didn't like answering personal questions, so I thought I'd start with something more general," he said matter-of-factly.

I finally turned to look at him, but kept my eyes trained carefully on his lips. They were distracting enough, especially when he licked them, but this way he couldn't work his eye voodoo on me and make me spill all my secrets. "Edward, I thought I was clear when I said we couldn't be friends."

"You were. You also said, clearly, that we could talk in class. This is us, talking in class." He grinned, and since I was staring at his mouth, the full force hit me. God, he was beautiful. "It would help if you were looking at me, though."

"I am looking at you," I said absentmindedly, still ogling the shine of his lips now that he'd wet them. I realized what I was doing and rolled my eyes. Now he had lip voodoo!

He reached out and gently lifted my chin with his finger until I was looking him in the eye. "Now you are." I stared, entranced by those damned emerald eyes, and he stared back, like he was looking for something that was hidden in my eyes. I couldn't blink, and I couldn't look away.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the professor walked in and began speaking. I quickly turned to my notebook and tried to focus enough to write down what the professor was saying, but I was still dazed by his eyes. And lips. And smell, to be honest.

"Can we get some coffee after class?" he whispered in my ear, making me shiver.

"No," I hissed back, regaining my focus now that I wasn't looking at him.

"My treat. Please?"

I nearly snorted. Like the price of a cup of coffee was what was holding me back. "No."

"We can talk about the upcoming project," he wheedled.

I paused. Now that I was paying attention, I realized that yes, the professor was talking about some project that the class was supposed to pair up and work on for the next couple of weeks. Each pair would turn in something every Thursday until midterms, when we would present our project in lieu of a midterm exam.

Shit. I hated group projects. Besides not being able to ensure that everyone in the group was pulling their weight, I had to get closer than I was comfortable with to people in the class. Any minute spent with someone I didn't know was one minute closer to getting my cover blown.

And yet, I wanted to spend time with Edward. He was nice, and funny, and fucking hot, and if I had to have a partner in this class, I definitely wanted it to be him. He was even kind of famous, in his own way. If, for some reason, he found out who I really was, maybe I could convince him to keep his mouth shut because he knew what it was like to be hounded. Maybe not to the extent I was, but if walking on campus the other day with him was any indication, he was no stranger to attention.

"Okay," I gave in. He grinned broadly and gave a little fist pump, and I couldn't help but grin back. He was too cute.

When class ended, I reluctantly accompanied Edward to a small coffee shop that was across the street from campus.

"What do you want?" he asked me.

"I can get it," I said, joining him in line.

"I know that, but I asked you what you want. I'm getting it."

"Edward," I huffed.

"Just go get us some seats. This place is filling up." I looked around and saw that he was right, so I gave him my best evil eye and went to grab us a table in the corner. There was a chair that made my back face the rest of the store, so only Edward would see me. Good.

"I got you a skim vanilla latte. Don't girls like that?" he asked, placing the cup in front of me a few minutes later.

"Wow, that was fast," I commented, blowing into the lid to cool it down.

Edward grinned and winked over my head in the direction of the counter. "I know one of the baristas."

"Ah," I mumbled and turned around to see what she looked like. She was pretty, in a girl-next-door sort of way, but she was blushing like mad and looked ready to do his laundry and cook him meals just to be close to him. I turned back around. "You shouldn't take advantage of people like that. That girl is ready to blow you and then thank you for it."

Edward laughed and blushed slightly, making him even prettier. "I didn't ask her to make mine first. She just did. And I tipped her generously."

"Unless your tip included your phone number, I doubt she'll be happy."

"Yeah, and now she's kind of glaring at you," he said, looking back down quickly.

I groaned. "Great. Now I'm going to be put on the Edward Cullen Fan Club hit list."

He blanched, horrified. "There's an Edward Cullen fan club?"

I had to put my cup down to keep from spilling it, I was laughing so hard. "No, no!" He gave me a look, but I kept laughing. "But I'd think about starting one just to make you look like that again. You looked like someone told you you were going to loose your penis to gangrene!"

"Izzy, that's not funny!" he said, covering his crotch with his hand like gangrene was really a threat. "You should never joke about a man's equipment."

I finally finished laughing, wiping a tear from my eye. "Edward, you have to know every girl in here is staring at you. I mean, I can't walk with you on campus without becoming self-conscious." If only he knew how much.

He grimaced. "I know, I know. It's embarrassing." Then he brightened. "But that's why I like you so much. You don't treat me like Edward Cullen, USC quarterback. You treat me like a normal person."

He looked at me then, giving me that eye voodoo, and I cleared my throat. I knew coming out with him was a bad idea, and he'd just confirmed it. He was getting ideas about our friendship, and I wanted only too badly to give him a few more. Especially ones for the bedroom. But I didn't have the luxury of any kind of relationship, even just a friendly one. As much as I wanted it, wanted him, it was too dangerous.

And I had a feeling if I got just one taste of Edward Cullen, it would never be enough.

"Let's get started on that project," I said, hauling my bag over to dig through it. The light in his eyes dimmed, but he nodded and began talking about his ideas.

~*~*~*~*~

"Rosalie! Rosalie! What are you doing?" I yelled at her, following her as she weaved through the crowd.

"Finding out about this DJ," she called back over her shoulder, continuing to shove her way to the front of the line. I could only see her in all the people because she was so tall in her ridiculous Jimmy Choo stilettos.

"Rosalie!" I yelled in frustration. We'd been walking down the street after dinner, talking about ideas for my first real tour, when we'd come across a club that was clearly packed. There was a huge line in front and I could feel the bass from the music pumping in my stomach. It wasn't a club I usually frequented, but all the hubbub around it drew my attention. I was interested to see what was going on, too, but I was in normal Bella mode and didn't want to be noticed. Rosalie, as usual, was too focused on her objective to pay attention to my feelings. It made her a great manager, but sometimes a bitchy friend.

She reached back and grabbed my hand to pull me up with her. "Hey, there," she said flirtatiously to the bouncer, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder, and ignoring the groans and yells coming from the line. All she had to do was wink and flash some of her ample cleavage and he was in the palm of her hand, nodding and letting us through.

"Rose, I really don't want to do this right now," I yelled in her ear.

"I don't care. I've heard of this kid, he's supposed to be hot, and I want to check him out," she yelled back.

I looked around, automatically trying to spot paparazzi, but I didn't see any cameras besides simple personal digital ones. This wasn't a celebrity hot spot, so there probably weren't any paps lurking inside, trying to make a buck by snapping a few celeb pics. I relaxed slightly but kept my eyes bouncing around the club, taking everything in. I didn't look my best- we were just out for a quiet dinner, I'd thought- and I really didn't want to show up on the cover of US Weekly in my normal Bella clothes again. I was wearing only a denim miniskirt and a small Rolling Stones tee, something Lady Bella would never dream of donning.

"Come on!" Rose called, pulling me further into the club. We walked down a little hallway and emerged right onto the edge of the dance floor, where what seemed like hundreds of bodies were bouncing to the music. It was hot, extremely loud, and I felt right at home. I hadn't been able to just enjoy a club and a DJ in so long.

"He's good," Rosalie said in my ear, after a few minutes of listening.

"Yeah," I called back, nodding my head to the beat. I saw a couple of guys approaching out of the corner of my eye, and shook my head at them, in a clear dismissal. They grimaced but turned around, thankfully.

"You want a drink?" Rosalie asked, nodding to the brightly lit bar on the other side of the club.

"Sure. Just a rum and coke," I told her, not feeling like fighting through more sweaty bodies. As soon as she walked off, I slid a few feet to my right to lean against a column, partially hiding myself from the crowd but still in view of the DJ booth. I wanted to be able to watch the DJ without worrying about someone watching me.

He was talented, whatever his name was. He was tall, lanky, with long blonde hair tied in a low ponytail and lots of tattoos. He was intensely focused on what he was doing, ignoring the scantily dressed skanks who kept approaching the booth. I wondered if maybe Rosalie should talk to him about a collaboration…

I was lost in thought, getting inspired by the music, when I felt someone sidle up next to me. "No, thanks," I yelled, never taking my eyes off the DJ.

"Why not?" a familiar velvety voice whispered in my ear.

I whipped my head around. "Edward?"

He smiled at me. "Fancy meeting you here. You didn't really strike me as the club type," he said, his mouth practically on my ear so I could hear him over the music.

God, he looked hot. He was dressed simply, in dark jeans and a white button up shirt, but he looked good enough to eat. He'd clearly tried to tame his bedhead hair, but didn't get very far. His shirt was glowing from the black lights that were strewn all over the club, and his teeth glowed when he smiled at me. I was entranced all over again.

I must have looked like an idiot, just staring at him, because all of a sudden Rosalie was yelling, "What's gotten into you, Bells?"

I looked at her, startled. She was looking at me like I'd just grown two heads. Before I composed myself enough to say anything, though, Edward reached a hand out. "My name is Edward, Izzy's friend from school. And you are?"

Rosalie gave me a look, probably about the name, but thankfully didn't say anything. She held up the cups in her hand, to show why she couldn't shake his, and said, "Rosalie. Izzy's friend from a long time."

Edward just smiled at her, and I tried to tear my eyes away, I really did. But my eyes were like moths to a flame. I really couldn't help it.

Rosalie bumped my arm with hers, holding out the rum and coke. She was still glaring at me, obviously intending on giving me the third degree later, but while Edward was standing there, looking like a human popsicle made just for me, I couldn't make myself care.

"So, what are you doing here?" Edward said in my ear, making me shiver deliciously.

"Just checking out the DJ," I replied. I had to clench my free hand into a fist to stop myself from reaching out and rubbing his delicious chest, which was playing peek-a-boo with his shirt and making me drool.

"Yeah, me too. A couple of guys from the team know him, said he was really good," Edward yelled. I usually tried to refrain from conversations at a club, out of respect for the DJ and also because they were nigh impossible with all the noise, but I had no desire to stop him from standing so close to me and doing ear porn on me. This was all I'd let myself have from him, and I was going to enjoy it.

"He is good," I called back.

"I'm going to go see if I can talk to him," Rosalie said, obviously taking my comment to mean I was definitely interested in working with him. She was right, but mostly I was just glad she was leaving. One less witness to my pathetic ogling.

Wow, this was bad. Five seconds with Edward and I was ready to ignore my career, just as long as he talked in my ear and smiled at me some more.

"He's been ignoring girls all night," Edward warned me. "I hope she isn't expecting much."

I smiled. "Rosalie has a way of getting whatever she wants." I nodded my head at the booth, where Rose was already chatting the DJ up. Edward gave a short laugh in shock and shook his head.

"Wow. I mean, she's definitely beautiful, but she's nothing compared to you," he said. I sighed. What should have been a totally cheesy line that made me roll my eyes really made me melt into Bella goo. This was reaching epic pathetic proportions.

"Thanks," I said, shaking my head. "But Rosalie is widely considered to be the prettiest girl in LA." I knew it, and accepted it. She was a damn good manager. And Lady Bella would never dream of being intimidated by another woman, even if she was a blonde Amazon who used to be a model for Vogue.

Edward leaned in close, so I got a whiff of his spicy cologne. "Then everyone else clearly hasn't met you." I looked into his eyes, trying to read the joke, but he looked deadly serious. My heart skipped a beat.

"You wanna dance?" I found myself asking.

He smiled broadly. "Sure!" He grabbed my hand and led me through the gyrating bodies to the center of the floor. I was so into him, I barely remembered to duck my head and shake my hair into my face to hide, to keep someone from recognizing me.

"Don't do that," he commanded, brushing my hair behind my ear. "You're too beautiful to always be covering up."

I looked up at him, weakening by the moment, and saw Rosalie looking at me, stunned, out of the corner of my eye. She motioned to the DJ, clearly asking if I wanted to talk to him, and I shook my head imperceptibly and then hid my face in Edward's wide chest, throwing my arms around him.

I was shocked by an electric current that shot from my body to his the second our skin touched. My entire body began tingling, and I wrapped myself around him further to feel more. It was like he truly was a magnet.

What's the use of fighting a magnet?

Edward seemed surprised as well for a moment, but then he got into the music and began moving our bodies. He was a very good dancer, I was happy to see, and within moments my panties were drenched and I was using all my self control not to jump his ass in the middle of the dance floor. Dancing always got me, I don't know why I suggested it. Oh wait, yes I do. That damn Edward voodoo.

The songs segued into one another, and I have no idea how long we swayed together, but I sure as hell wasn't pulling away. I felt like Cinderella, with only one night to have any fun. I'd already promised myself I would go back to careful, guarded Bella on Tuesday, so right now I was going to enjoy myself to the fullest. I'd even stopped glancing around the club, looking for cameras. My attention was wholly on the demigod in front of me.

"You dance really well," Edward murmured in my ear.

I nodded. "Thanks."

We danced a little while longer, falling into the music, until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I was about to rip Rosalie a new one when I saw who it was.

"Jazz!" I squealed. I wrenched myself away from Edward and jumped into his waiting arms.

"Bells! I can't believe it! What a small world!" he exclaimed. He gave me a big hug, squeezing me tight, and I was so glad to see him I nearly cried. It had been ages since we'd last hung out together, at the beginning of my rise to stardom. We'd emailed and texted, but hadn't actually been together in… a year?

"It's been so long, Jazz! I miss you!"

"Me too, Bells! I barely recognized you!"

I immediately cooled down, remembering Edward was standing right there, and untangled myself from Jazz. I looked at Edward, and his face was stormy, like he wanted to yell and fight but was holding himself back.

I stepped back to Edward's side. "Edward, this is my longtime buddy Jasper." I gave Jazz a significant look, similar to the one I'd given Rosalie before, and said, "Jasper, this is my friend Edward. We go to school together," I added, hoping he would catch the hint and not give me away.

Jazz smiled and held out his hand. "Any friend of Bella here is a friend of mine."

I closed my eyes in frustration. I couldn't be mad, Jazz didn't know about the name thing. "Bella?" Edward asked, just like I suspected. He ignored Jazz's outstretched hand.

Jazz looked at me, confused. "My full name is Isabella. He and Rosalie call me Bells or Bella, but I prefer to go by Izzy," I explained in a rush.

"Oh." Edward didn't look satisfied with this explanation, but it was the best I could do. I knew I was getting too close to him. He was going to figure everything out due to my own carelessness.

"We should be going," I said, pulling myself away from Edward with no small effort before I confessed my entire life story and grabbed Jazz's arm. "I know Rose will be dying to see you."

"Sure, Bells. Nice to meet you, Edward," Jazz said politely.

Edward gave him a tight smile, and barely glanced at me. He looked upset. "Bye, Izzy," he said quietly; I only knew he said it because I read his lips. He turned and disappeared into the crowd, and I stared helplessly after him.

"What was that all about?" Jazz asked in my ear.

I looked at him sadly, feeling sick. "Nothing. Just a dance."

Jazz gave me a pointed look, but thankfully didn't push it. "You want to see Alice?"

"Of course!" I said brightly, trying to shove the look on Edward's face out of my head. "I haven't seen her in forever. Or you, either. What are you doing out here?"

"Came to visit Ali," Jazz replied, leading me off the dance floor and into a quieter side room that was clearly VIP. Rosalie was already in there, sitting on a sleek white leather couch, talking to Alice and a large man with dark skin and hair who looked Native American.

"She's living out here now?"

"Yeah, it sucks, but she came out here to open an LA branch of the boutique," Jazz explained. Alice was an up-and-coming fashion designer who had taken Bryant Park by storm a couple of years ago, the night she'd met Jazz. Her collection had taken off, and Jazz had proposed a mere three months later. They would be married now, but they were both too busy with their crazy careers.

"Bella!" Alice squealed, and bounded across the room to jump on me. Thankfully, having known Alice for quite some time, I was prepared to catch her. She was always throwing herself around, a result of her seemingly endless energy, and it helped that she wasn't much bigger than Thumbelina.

"Hey, Ali! How are you?"

She untangled herself and stood next to Jazz. "Good, good. Business is booming. But you haven't been to see my shop! We live in the same city now, you know!" She gave me a guilt face that was so strong, it would have made Jon Gosselin repentant.

I grimaced. "I know, I just heard. I've just been really busy, with trying to finish the second album and preparing for my first tour."

"And spending time with hot quarterbacks," Rosalie added from across the room. I looked at her sharply, but before I could say anything, Alice pounced.

"No way! You have a boyfriend? Oh my gosh who is he? Have I heard of him? Is he cute? How did you meet him?" This was all said in the blink of an eye. I could barely understand her.

"Yes, Bella, please do tell," Rosalie drawled.

I looked at her angrily. "It's nothing. He's in my class at USC, that's all."

"That's not all. You were practically salivating at him. I've never seen you act like that. Never mind the fact he's got you watching football," Rosalie accused.

Jasper's eyes widened. "You're watching football? Wow, you must really like him."

I hid my face in my hands. "Would you guys please cut it out? It's really nothing. I know him from school, and it was nice to dance and not worry about who was watching me for once." I took a deep breath, then dropped my hands and straightened up. "Now aren't you going to introduce me to your friend here?" I asked in a hard tone, conveying my desire to drop the subject. I smiled at the dark man and held my hand out.

Rosalie sighed, but let it go. "This is Jacob Black. He's James' manager."

I shook Jacob's hand, but looked at Rose questioningly. "James?"

"The DJ you've been grooving to," Jacob cut in. "He's awesome, isn't he?"

"He's got something," I acknowledged. "Where has he played before?" I slipped right into business mode, trying to demonstrate to them that Edward really did mean nothing.

My heart cried in protest. It knew better.